The Blue Scarlet Chess Set
In early January of 2009, my grandfather passed away at the humbling age of 83. We were as close as can be. I have fond memories of always hanging out together, talking together, writing together, we both very much loved writing. After his passing, in his will he made a strange, explicit mention that he wished for me to have what he called a "Blue Scarlet Chess Set." Now, I knew nothing of this. Of all the time I had spent with him as a child, even as an adult, I have no memory of such an object. Even more peculiar, he made it absolutely explicit that I was the one who obtained it. He made sure to put my full name, birth date, place I was born, and oddly my astrological sign. All these precautions just to be absolutely certain I got it. Out of respect for him, and all the wonderful things he's done for me over the years, I agreed and took the chessboard, placing it safely in the closet of my home. Following the days of his death (January 12-14) I embarked on a hiking trip with a few of my friends, of which their names I will not disclose for sheer sake of privacy. During the nights I was on the mountain, I had some perplexing dreams. I mean, nothing too out of the ordinary, just a few 'night terrors' if you could call them that. I recorded them in my travel diary, but feel as though they're too personal to share here. When I returned home, I set my things down and immediately checked on the chessboard; hoping to inquire more about. I hopped up the stairs, walked to my room, and opened the closet door. There, shockingly, yet at the same time, expectantly, I found the cardboard lid which contained the chessboard to be off. It was gone. I was rather shocked and confused, but knew that something was up. Understanding this, I had also realized that this had been the first time in my life that I'd actually seen the pieces. I leaned in closer and, to my surprise, they were modeled after the Greek Gods. "Why was the set even named Scarlet Blue?" My mind observed the format in which the pieces were aligned. They had been moved as well. It seemed as though something had set up a sort of 'hierarchical structure' amongst the pieces. All the pawns had been set up to encircle their superiors, such as Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, etc. But even the greater Greek Gods were all placed in a seeming symbolic order, the center of the board. It was as if there was something here claiming superiority to them, or the chessboard depictions of them. Rightfully so, I was frightened. I ran downstairs, grabbed my camera, and snagged a few photos. When I went over to import them on my computer, all but one became corrupted. For safety reasons I won't be posting the picture here. I lay down and just tried to process what was going on, but it was like trying to fit two different puzzles together, it just didn't work. Through my foggy thought-process, I drifted off to sleep, having more bizarre dreams, and awoke a few hours later startled by the undertones of a dull thumping. It seemed to emanate from way down the hall, it sounded like a man trying to get out of a locked closet. At this my heart rate spiked, I felt that 'needly' feeling you get in your chest when you're anxious. Was I going to have a heart attack? I didn't know what to do. I peered to the left, trying to get a glimpse down the shaded hallway, but it wouldn't work anatomically, it was too far to lean. I sat there and thought for a moment, and, rather bravely for me, I placed my two feet down on the rug and stood up. At this point, I began to feel as though I was being watched. I was beginning to feel like the shadows that encompassed my room, were It. Emphasis on the capital I. I know this all sounds odd. I felt like its consciousness was the shadow, and the shadow was its being. I was beginning to get paranoid. In an effort to hold back my fear, I childishly turned on all the lights. Yes, embarrassing, I know, but I couldn't stop myself. The Board! My mind screamed, how could I forget about it. I went to the closet. I had silently hushed over to the closet and opened it silently, and to my surprise, the pieces had moved, or had been moved, again. Whether this was a joke, or real, it was serious. I kneeled down and grabbed the board, gravity knocking the pieces from their places. I began observing it even more closely than before, looking for something, I knew that there was something more to it. I examined the front, the back, the sides, every aspect of it, but then, I saw something rather peculiar, the corners. The corners of the paper overlay, on which the chess pieces were moved, had been picked upward. It looked as though the board had sustained some form of water damage, or someone had been clawing at it with their fingernails. After a brief moment of thought, and perhaps a moment of denial. I knew what I had to do to this 90-year-old antique. I put my finger to the top right flap and peeled. It came off quickly and without flaking. But my worst nightmare had come true. To my utter disbelief and shock... a Ouija board was revealed beneath its surface. Intricately designed and containing more symbols and inscriptions to think of, but one was most unsettling, reading in Latin, "It will watch." Following the days and sleepless nights of this incident, I disposed of the chess set in a way that was both spiritually and physically appropriate. I made sure to leave the board where no one would find it, and I also made sure not to leave the Earth to suck up its evils. Secondly, I made sure to take any precautions necessary to remove It, the being, from existence. Though, after speaking to a mystic, she informed me that It had been freed, having already familiarized itself with my thoughts. She told me the being of which I confronted was well-known through many myths and legends. She provided me evidence that It was ironically dubbed the Shade. The mystic refused any further meetings with me following this. So I caution any and all readers of this text to please take note, that the being of which I experienced is still out there. I have done my utmost to try to harness, or even discontinue its existence. But be warned, It is attracted to those who REDACTED. Be well. Category:Beings Category:Items/Objects